Café owners fly the coop

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This article was published 11/08/2022 (997 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

by JURA MCILRAITH

After 40 years of serving up good food and great service, Ike and Joan Bueckert have made the tough decision to step away from the restaurant business and sell Jay’s Café in Steinbach.

From the age of 16, Joan has worked in various restaurant locations across Steinbach, making her start at Pete’s Inn. Drawn to the business through her mother’s work as a cook, she said the job has been a blast right from the beginning.

Restaurant life isn’t for the faint of heart. Joan said there were some tough times and times when she thought of throwing in the towel sooner. Starting Jay’s was a stressful time, she confided in an interview with The Carillon.

But with the support of her husband, Ike, Jay’s Café became a staple in the lives of many living in Steinbach. Joan said she loved seeing her customers change through the stages of their own lives and getting to meet so many people in the community is what made it all worthwhile.

“It’s my life. You saw people grow up; you saw their families grow up. You saw many families grow up, and it’s like, that’s your life right there,” she said.

The decision to sell Jay’s Café didn’t come easily. After a few years of being semi-retired, the opportunity to sell presented itself.

“It was very tough, of course, but I couldn’t go back in there and start all over again, so my chapter in this part of my book is done,” Joan said.

The owners of Blatz Bistro are the new owners of Jay’s Café. July 31 was Joan and Ike’s last day with Jay’s.

The couple expressed their gratitude for all of their customers and their appreciation for the many staff members that have worked with them over the years. Many of those people were like a second family to them.

Although it’s been more than a week since stepping back from Jay’s, for Joan, it doesn’t feel like she has. “To tell you the truth, it hasn’t really sunk in yet… and I think it’s going to take probably a couple weeks, maybe even a couple months, until I realize.”

Without the responsibility of the restaurant, Joan says she’s had more time to take care of her health and spend time crocheting. She and Ike wish the new owners of Jay’s Café the best of luck in their business.